The X Shop
A shoppable art gallery by Superstar X to celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being different. #welovedifferent 🌈💜
03/07/2024
🤩 Just in time-space for summer, we're thrilled to introduce the new series of slip-on shoes printed with "Home" by Edward! These exclusive slip-ons showcase Edward's stunning artwork in a bold and vibrant way, making every step a masterpiece (yes, we're biased 😉).
📆 This is just the beginning—stay tuned for more designs coming soon on a surprise date! Get ready to walk with art and style, embodying the essence of "Home" wherever you go.
👟✨ Grab your pair now and be the first to flaunt this piece of wearable art!
🛍️ www.thexshop.xyz/collections/wearable-art-slip-on-shoes-by-edward-k-weatherly
💜 We'd love it if you tag us in your snapshots to show us how you go your own way !
🏡🎨 Home is Where the Art Is...
At The X Shop by Superstar X, we love different. Art isn't just about decoration; it's about creating spaces that uplift our spirits. Here's why supporting X Artists is more than just purchasing artwork:
🌟 Art as Therapy: Studies have shown that engaging with art can have profound effects on mental health and wellbeing. Whether it's admiring a painting, losing yourself in a photograph, or showcasing wearable art, it has a therapeutic power to evoke a range of emotions, spark creativity & provide a sense of calm, relaxation & even wonder.
🎨 Creative Expression: For X Artists, creating art is more than talent; it's a form of self-expression & a way to process emotions & experiences. By supporting them, you're affirming their talents & perspectives while also enriching your space (&/or wardrobe).
💖 Making Spaces Happier: Have you ever walked into a room & felt an instant lift in your mood? That's the magic of art. Whether it's a vibrant painting, a soothing photograph, or a quirky outfit, art has the ability to transform any space or wardrobe into what you need it to be.
💡Spark of Inspiration: Surrounding yourself with art can ignite your creativity & stimulate your imagination. Each piece tells a story & invites you to interpret it in your own way, encouraging introspection, curiosity & exploration.
🌈 Celebrating Diversity: Art celebrates diversity in all its forms—cultural, social & individual. By supporting X Artists, you're not just purchasing art; you're championing & , cultivating a sense of belonging & acceptance in your home & beyond.
❤️ So, why wait? 😉 Transform your space &/or wardrobe with some goodness from The X Shop. Discover unique pieces that speak to your heart & support X Artists in their creative journey. Because home is truly where the art—& the heart—is, like "Home" by Edward K. Weatherly, Superstar X’s original X Artist: www.thexshop.xyz/collections/home
🐰 Visit The X Shop today & let the magic begin: www.thexshop.xyz
😍 Miigwetch / Thank you for inviting X Artists into your heart and home!
At The X Shop by Superstar X, we believe in the power of art to transform lives and communities. Aligned with this, The X Shop's profit-sharing model is designed so that each purchase values creative expression as well as community:
🎨 60% for X Artists: The artists receive the majority share, empowering them to thrive and continue creating impactful work.
💚 10% Giving Back: Ten percent is gifted to programs, projects, or individuals chosen by the X Artists. This could mean supporting community initiatives or even assisting the artists themselves. They decide.
🌈 30% for Superstar X: This helps to sustain Superstar X, a collective for social change, amplifying diverse voices that celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being different.
🌿 Eco-Friendly Commitment: We source products that have limited impact on the environment. For example, wearable art products such as T-shirts are sourced through the Cotton Trust Protocol, ensuring ethical and sustainable production as well as Oeko-Tex certification to assure safety and quality.
🛍️ Every piece you purchase from The X Shop is a step towards celebrating "different"... ultimately, to activate connection and eradicate oppression.
🤩 In different seasons, and for different reasons, sometimes we can see more... check out the video to see Two-Spirit Cree Artist Elder Ma-Nee Chacaby's "Kokum Watching Ma-Nee in Cabin" fine art print transform into a reusable bag, for all your foraging needs. To purchase your very own, click here: https://www.thexshop.xyz/collections/kokum-watching-ma-nee-in-cabin
👽 To see more, check out The X Shop: www.thexshop.xyz.
😍 Miigwetch / Thank you for your support!
06/06/2024
Superstar X is a collective for social change, with The X Shop as one of its core channels for impact.
🌟 Why is Superstar X a collective?
One answer is found in the wisdom of Angela Davis who advocates that collectives are fundamental to achieving peace because they cultivate unity, empower individuals, embrace an intersectional approach, challenge systemic oppression, and drive transformative social change. As she states, "Fundamental change comes always as a consequence of people coming together, creating people’s power and demonstrating that power."
While world peace may seem idealistic or unattainable, Superstar X operates on the belief that if each of us contributes to peace, we can make it a reality, both internally and externally.
🌟 How is The X Shop a catalyst for change?
Within Superstar X's platform, which amplifies diverse and under-recognized voices through multimedia art, The X Shop provides X Artists the opportunity to authentically showcase and monetize their work, further enhancing their independence and well-being.
Through their art, X Artists invite respectful discourse on difficult topics, such as colonization, racism, and homophobia. By purchasing a piece for peace from The X Shop, you help activate connection and eradicate oppression, one connection at a time.
👽To see more, check out The X Shop: www.thexshop.xyz.
We Love Different… and it’s more than words. It’s a philosophy that celebrates being humxn and destigmatizes being different. And, we're all different, in our own unique way...
Noam Chomsky has often critiqued how the media portrays differences, particularly through his work on media analysis and propaganda...
📺 Perpetuate Stereotypes: Mainstream media often reinforces stereotypes and oversimplified views of different social, cultural, and ethnic groups. This serves to create a binary perception of "us" versus "them," which can perpetuate prejudice and social division.
📹 Promote Conformity: The media promotes a narrow range of acceptable viewpoints and marginalizes dissenting voices. By doing so, it discourages critical thinking and reinforces societal norms and power structures.
👑 Serve Elite Interests: The media primarily serves the interests of powerful elites, including political and corporate leaders. This results in the portrayal of differences in a way that supports the status quo and minimizes challenges to existing power dynamics.
📢 Manufacture Consent: His concept of "manufacturing consent" describes how media manipulates public opinion to align with elite interests. This includes framing differences in a way that generates fear, division, and compliance among the populace.
🌀 Sensationalize and Simplify: The media often sensationalizes and simplifies complex issues, including cultural and social differences. This can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of nuanced perspectives on important issues.
🎙️In summary, the media's portrayal of differences is designed to maintain control and influence over the public, rather than to foster genuine understanding and appreciation of diversity.
🤔 Imagine if the media promoted curiosity about differences and even celebrated them...
👽To see more, check out The X Shop: www.thexshop.xyz.
🗺️ It can be tricky navigating many worlds or systems, especially broken (aka oppressive) ones, along the road to greater wholeness. However, we persevere...
✨ As part of an ongoing decolonization journey to support Indigenous Worldviews, The X Shop includes a pay-it-forward practice in its profit-sharing model: 10% is gifted to a program, project, organization, group, or individual of an X Artist's choice, and this may include themselves. They decide.
📚 As I continue my (un)learning journey, particularly to integrate decolonization practices within myself and Superstar X's channels for social change, including The X Shop, here are some of the books in my library:
❤️ "Indigenomics: Taking a Seat at the Economic Table" by Carol Anne Hilton
🧡 "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
💛 "The Power of Story: On Truth, the Trickster, and New Fictions for a New Era" by Harold R. Johnson (1954-2022)
In the beautiful words of Joan Johnson, Harold R. Johnson's wife: "Harold passed away on February 9, 2022, a couple of weeks after completing the substantive edits for this book. My husband was a brilliant man and gifted storyteller. His last words are powerful and dedicated to all peoples. He encourages us to think about where we came from and the future we choose. We have the ability to change our story."
💚 "Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-Up Call" () by Arthur Manuel (1951–2017) and Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson
💙 I am very grateful for these inspiring authors, and all Indigenous Peoples, who share their wisdom and openness for the betterment of All.
💜 I'd love to know your (un)learning recommendations for Truth and (re)Conciliation. Please share in the comments.
04/06/2024
🎨 📸 🖼️ In general, artists often face financial instability and a lack of recognition, despite their profound contributions to society. This is especially true for artists who are First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Black People, People of Colour, and/or 2SLGBTQIA+.
🌈 Diversity enriches cultural landscapes, provokes critical thought, and offers new perspectives on the humxn experience. Art has the power to inspire, heal, and bring communities together, making it essential for societal well-being and progress.
🌟 Celebrating artists and their talents is crucial; it acknowledges their role in shaping our world, supports their continued creativity and ensures that the beauty, insight, and innovation they provide continue to thrive. By valuing and uplifting artists, we invest in a more vibrant, reflective, and empathetic society.
😍 For each purchase at The X Shop by Superstar X, you're helping X Artists monetize their multimedia art so they can strive toward multidimxnsional wellness, creating and sharing their stories to activate connection and eradicate oppression, for the betterment of All. As part of Superstar X's profit-sharing sphere, each X Artist receives 60%, 10% is gifted, and 30% for Superstar X to continue celebrating being humxn and destigmatizing being different.
🏳️🌈 On that note, the "X" in The X Shop and Superstar X have been transformed into its Pride version... the "X" was drawn by Edward and its Pride colours were added by Phytofern, a trans man living on the unceded land of Nipissing First Nation and whose ancestry includes French Canadian, Anishinaabe, and Mi'kmaw. To celebrate Pride this year, The X Shop is featuring products with "Pride X," only until September 1, 2024. Given the collaboration on this design, for each "Pride X" purchase, 30% goes to Edward, and 30% goes to Phytofern.
✨ To delve deeper, we invite you to visit The X Gallery by Superstar X, within an art district by Art Gate inside the Metaverse. Whether on your laptop or VR headset, at The X Gallery you'll have a chance to see each X Artist's work in another light: https://bit.ly/4a5MB0p.
👽 Are you an emerging "different" artist with a story to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us: https://www.superstarx.xyz/contact.
❤️ June (and every month) is National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month. On behalf of The X Shop by Superstar X, we celebrate the beautiful and diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. And, we celebrate the diverse 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, continuing the journey toward inclusion for All.
🧡 We also acknowledge the destruction that colonization inflicted and perpetuates, while we continue to (un)learn with actions for Truth and (re)Conciliation, including decolonization.
💛 On behalf of the X Artists, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples, most also within 2SLGBTQIA+ communities (stay tuned for when (re)introduce the collective of talented X Artists), we express our gratitude for all your support!
💚 Your purchases at The X Shop give back in many ways... 60% for the X Artist, 10% is gifted, and 30% for Superstar X to celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being different. For those who haven't purchased a piece yet, check out The X Shop: https://www.thexshop.xyz.
💙 To start the month off, on Saturday, I attended Tkaronto’s 3rd Annual 2-Spirit Pow Wow at Downsview Park, hosted by 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations. Chi Miigwetch 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations for a very special gathering and to Elder Blu Waters for a very special message.
💜 The Pow Wow was powerful, beautiful, inspiring, and healing... also, of course, the food was delicious. Chi Miigwetch to Pow Wow Cafe for the divine taco and Zisikine for the otherworldly lavender chai latte!
🖤 It was great to see an acknowledgement that "many tribes recognize more than two genders," as reflected in the dance categories.
🤎 One of my goals this summer is to go to as many powwows as possible! What's one of yours? 🤗
🌈 😍 Have a wonderful day!
Note: The video in this post was captured during the Grand Entry 2-Spirit Pow Wow, with permission.
📺 As one of Superstar X's core channels for social change, The X Shop sells multimedia art by X Artists who are under-recognized in mainstream media. Following the reintroduction of The X Shop, I'm excited to share Superstar X's ever-expanding collective of "different" X Artists with you.
📖 In the interim, for those who are new to our origin story, The X Shop's original X Artist is my brother, Edward. He began creating pop-graffiti artwork during his hospitalization for schizophrenia and substance use disorder. Edward's work is influenced by Keith Haring and his fascination with the media, pop culture, aliens, ones, zeroes, and X's.
💬 Around 1999, Edward told me he communicates with aliens through ones and zeroes they embed in media, claiming they had a "big message" for him. To me, Edward's art is the big message, serving as a catalyst to activate connection and eradicate oppression. More on that later.
🌎 Back to reintroducing The X Shop... Does the world need another online shop to sell things? Maybe not, but it could use more ways to collectively celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being different. So, if you want something truly unique that helps to achieve this, I invite you inside The X Shop to purchase a signature piece(s) from the collective of X Artists who share their stories, or "big message," through multimedia art.
👽To see more, check out The X Shop: www.thexshop.xyz.
27/05/2024
👋 Hi! How are you? I hope all is well.
🛍️🖼️ Guess what? The X Shop, a shoppable art gallery by Superstar X, is making a comeback after a much-needed break!
📺 My name is Nicole Weatherly, Superstar X's founder and creative engineer, and I'm excited to reintroduce The X Shop to you, including the collective of talented X Artists for social change!
😍 So stay tuned to this channel for some exciting updates coming your way... from promos to impromptu surprises and even some limited-time-only slip-ons for summer!
👽To see more, check out www.thexshop.xyz.
17/04/2022
02/02/2022
🤩🤩🤩🤩
with
・・・
This Black History Month, BGMN celebrates Black+Queer+Pioneers who made significant contributions but haven’t always had their stories celebrated.
Because it’s never too late to discover our ancestors.
11/11/2021
Happy Birthday, Edward, and congratulations on the upcoming debut of "Alien Realities" at Art Gate's The Meta Biennale! 🌈😍
21/10/2021
Re-imagining...
Within the otherworldly art exhibition “Alien Realities,” this is “Prophecy” by Edward K. Weatherly.
Shoppable art available for purchase at www.thexshop.xyz.
Promo Code (expires Oct. 21 at 11:59pm ET):
HAPPYMOMENTS2021
Thank you for supporting our re-imagining! ♾❤️♾
Wherever you are along your journey, The X Shop (www.thexshop.xyz) has a special 10% promo code* to brighten your way:
HAPPYMOMENTS2021
Or click the link below for the promo code to be automatically added at checkout:
https://www.thexshop.xyz/discount/HAPPYTRAILS2021
Art: "Prophecy" by Edward K. Weatherly
Music: Courage Endures by Trevor Kowalski from Epidemic Sound
*expiry date: Oct. 21 at 11:59pm ET
Alright, time may be a construct, but it sure seems to fly…
So, in this virtual space, continuing with our tour of “Alien Realities” by Edward K. Weatherly, next up No. 8/20: “Prophecy.”
"Prophecy" illuminates Edward’s perceptions of reality in relation to multimedia and spirituality.
Throughout the ages, the word God has a spectrum of connotations or meanings. Now, what does God mean for you? What’s your Prophecy? If you feel inspired to answer, please share in the comments, as we’d love to know your thoughts (&/or feelings), any time (&/or space). 🤩
Check out https://www.thexshop.xyz/collections/prophecy to make your "Prophecy" come true! 😍
Music: Fear Being Unfelt by Ingrid Witt from Epidemic Sound
01/10/2021
with
・・・
Here at APTN, we've made a few downloads available to help show your support of National Day For Truth and Reconciliation on social media, at work and at home 🧡
Show your support on September 30 by sharing this graphic on your feeds and using the hashtag
Visit honourtheday.ca for a printable orange t-shirt emblem, professional assets like email signature, video conferencing background, and social media graphics.
29/09/2021
Dear Superstars,
On behalf of The X Team, we hope all is well in your part of the world. We have been taking a much-needed break since the publication of Superstar X Magazine’s HOPE 2021 (https://bit.ly/2ZCC2mR) and are slowly getting back to this part of our world.
For our individual and collective wellness, we endeavour to practice self-care on a regular basis. This foundational practice has been especially on our minds and hearts in September, given it is National Su***de Prevention Month (which is becoming known as Life Promotion Month). Given the stigma attributed to Mental Health, it can be very challenging to talk about su***de, yet when these conversations are done with care, they can be very healing and life-saving.
We encourage open and honest conversations, with care, about Mental Health and su***de, to affirm for ourselves and others that “You are loved” and "You are not alone." We celebrate You and Who You Are. Thank You for Being Here. ❤
With much Love & Gratitude,
Nicole
Resources:
Kids Help Phone (https://kidshelpphone.ca) >> For all kids, teens, and young adults across Canada, call 1-800-668-6868 (or text CONNECT to 686868)
Strengthening Our Connections to Promote Life: A Life Promotion Toolkit by Indigenous Youth >> https://bit.ly/3zW6Mfb
Canadian Association for Su***de Prevention >> https://su***deprevention.ca
***dePreventionMonth ***dePreventionMonth365
Continuing merrily along our tour of “Alien Realities,” we arrive at No. 7 of 20: “Messages” by Edward K. Weatherly.
"Messages" reflects the bombardment of signals that Edward receives, doing his best to decode them within his reality of schizophrenia...
Whatever messages you might receive along your journey, we hope you always put your Mental Health 1st.
Music: “Peace at Heart” by Ive from Epidemic Sound
03/06/2021
Dear Superstars,
To honour the start of Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, this is a photograph, by Michael Hill, revealing a rainbow over Keefer Lake, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Northeastern Turtle Island.
According to Wikipedia, Timiskaming is a word from the Algonquins' Temikami or Temikaming; tim meaning "deep" and kami meaning "open waters." Some alternate spellings include Temiskaming, Témiscaming, and Témiscamingue.
Upon review of the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) website (www.tanakiwin.com), it states that “Algonquin people have lived in the Ottawa Valley for at least 8,000 years before the Europeans arrived in North America.”
There is no question that Indigenous Peoples were here First.
However, there are many questions that settlers (myself included) must finally answer and act upon; there is long-overdue and urgent work that settlers must do to make amends with Indigenous Peoples: among many actions, honouring treaties and fulfilling all Calls to Action (94) outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Established in 2008, the TRC was founded to review impacts of residential schools in Canada and help facilitate reconciliation among former students and their families, communities, governments, and all Canadians.
There were more than 130 residential schools and the last one only closed in 1996…
Among the horrific and heartbreaking Truth of the residential schools, the recent findings of 215 (!) children surreptitiously buried (and their lives inconceivably traumatized and stolen) at Kamloops Indian Residential School, I can only accept that all settlers must be jolted awake by now and dedicated to Act upon the Truth, to make amends…
My heart goes out to these children & all Indigenous Peoples. I am deeply saddened, horrified, disgusted, and ashamed to know that as a settler I am part of a system that has committed centuries-old genocide, which perpetuates in varying ways today…I am dedicated to being part of the solution, for collective healing to happen. I have much to listen, learn, unlearn, and act upon, an iterative process.
While the oppressive systems have a long and insidious legacy, I am hopeful that Indigenous Peoples and settlers will heal individually and together, co-creating the transformation that Humxnity desperately needs.
Primarily, my hope is energized by the generosity of spirit and wisdom that Indigenous Peoples so naturally uphold and the uprising of actions and greater awareness that I see of settlers.
I am hopeful that collectively we will continue to come together...
On behalf of The X Team, I wish you a Happy Indigenous Month and Happy Pride… may you see many beautiful rainbows ahead. 🧡❤️💜💚💛🖤🤎💙🤍
With much Love & Gratitude,
Nicole
Donate: www.irsss.ca/donate
Calls to Action: https://bit.ly/3uHiO9M
All residential schools must be investigated as crime scenes to search for unmarked graves >> https://bit.ly/3g5PN1Y
All perpetrators must be held accountable, for the entire residential school system and its traumatic impacts (past and present) on Indigenous Peoples, including the deaths.
IRSSS Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
cc: Justin Trudeau + Dan Vandal + Carolyn Bennett + Marc Miller + Bardish Chagger …
Sources:
https://bit.ly/3fILCKC
https://bit.ly/3fFl2ly
31/05/2021
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
・・・
May 31 Victoria, BC 1 pm to 6 pm placement of teddy bears and children's shoes in fron of Mungo Martin house at Royal BC Museum; then 8:30 pm candlelight vigil ❤️
17/05/2021
“Together, We Resist, Support, and Heal.”
Source: www.May17.org
16/05/2021
Hi. I hope your day has goodness shining through... 🤩
Speaking of goodness, continuing along Superstar X's tour of "Alien Realities" by Edward, to mix it up a bit, this is a hop-skip-and-a-jump to No. 14 of 20 (we'll circle back to No. 7 eventually): “The Love Aliens Family” by Edward.
"The Love Aliens Family" represents our family of origin (5 humxns), and our unbreakable love for each other. 😍
Much love,
Nicole
❤️ For all of the X Shoppers out there, from now until Monday, May 17th, at 11:59pm EDT, a 10% promo will be automatically added to your shopping cart at The X Shop (www.thexshop.xyz)!
❤️ 10% from each purchase in The X Shop is gifted to initiatives, programs, and organizations for multidimxnsional wellness, especially to benefit those who are (or have been) excluded instead of celebrated for being “different.”
❤️ Thank you for being part of The X Family! It means the world to us!
09/05/2021
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers… may today and every day be full of love for you. Thank you for being you and for doing what you do. ❤️
From Superstar X's first photoshoot for The X Shop, almost two years ago today, this is a photo of me (Nicole) and my mom (Beatrice). Of course, we’re both wearing designs by Edward, “The Love Aliens Family” and “Home” (L-R). So much has changed since then, which makes this memory even more special to me. ❤️
My mom has Alzheimer’s. We lived together from October 2016 to October 2020. She now lives in a long-term care facility in the heart of Toronto’s Gay Village. Although I don’t have words right now to express the winding journey to this place, I am deeply grateful that she is still surrounded by people who love her. I am deeply grateful that she is my mom. She still sparkles… she still shines her bright light. My mom is a Superstar. ❤️
Photo Credit: El Keegan Photography ❤️
Welcome to The X Shop!
Hello and welcome to The X Shop, a shoppable art gallery for the superstar in all of us and fuelled with 💜 by Superstar X!
Our purpose is to celebrate being human and destigmatize being different and our mission is to empower humanity and cultivate connection by co-creating for multidimensional wellness, art, film, music, fashion, and fun!
Founded in April 2017, Superstar X was co-created to help correct the injustices in the world and was predominantly inspired by my brother Edward’s diverse social challenges with schizophrenia, substance use disorder, homelessness, HIV, and identity (Edward identifies as gay and I identify as le***an), in addition to his successes and including his pop-graffiti artwork that is printed on multimedia products available for purchase within The X Shop.
In May 2019, The X Shop was launched to further Superstar X’s platform for co-creating Justice, which is central to Superstar X’s origins and its future. If you’d like to learn more about our story, please click here.
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